Harvey Keitel loses TV ad legal battle

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Harvey Keitel has lost a legal battle over a TV commercial he missed out on.

The Reservoir Dogs star accused E*Trade Financial Corp bosses of screwing him over on a contract he signed with the online brokerage firm in 2014, in which they allegedly agreed to cast him in three commercials.

Keitel claimed the brokers came to him after Christopher Walken turned them down.

Shortly after the deal, The Piano star alleged ad executives decided not to use him and offered him a tenth of his agreed $1.5 million (GBP1.1 million) fee.

But New York state judge Charles Ramos has ruled against the actor, insisting a written "term sheet" for hiring Keitel was not an official contract.

The judge also pointed out that Keitel's agent was still negotiating the terms of a potential contract the day before E*Trade bosses opted not to use the actor as their star, according to Reuters.